


Home

by MariaClaire



Series: Senior Year Stories [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), F/M, Fluff, Lots of Percabeth fluff, Post-The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus), Post-war decompressing, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-02-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22327036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MariaClaire/pseuds/MariaClaire
Summary: The war with the giants is over and life is settling back down to normal at Camp Half-Blood (or as normal as it ever gets). Told from Percy's point of view, this story picks up where Blood of Olympus leaves off, as the demigods adjust to being home again.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: Senior Year Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746076
Comments: 19
Kudos: 265





	1. Welcome [Back] to New York

**Author's Note:**

> ***Author’s Note: This story covers the first couple days after the end of Blood of Olympus and, fair warning, there will be LOTS of Percabeth fluff, but also some other fun stuff too. It will be four chapters in total. The next one will be up later this week.  
> As always, nothing in this fanfic world belongs to me, I’m just borrowing Rick Riordan’s characters for a bit. Thanks for reading!***

The Romans left yesterday. I was already missing Frank and Hazel. The onagers had been dismantled by the Hephaestus cabin and the scraps taken to the forges to be melted down and remade into…well, who knew what. The last of the defenses were coming down, supervised by a grumpy, but probably secretly relieved, Clarisse. Reyna had told Annabeth we'd be welcome in New Rome for college and beyond, and Nico admitted he'd once had a crush on me and also that I wasn't his type. Now he was walking around laughing and smiling—Nico, laughing and smiling—with Will Solace.

In other words, things at Camp Half-Blood were basically back to normal.

Actually, this was the first day since we'd been back that just felt like a normal summer morning at camp. And I was not complaining. It had been so long since I'd had anything even remotely resembling a "normal" day that I wasn't sure what to do with myself.

Annabeth had gone off with Jason after breakfast for some Intro to Architecture lessons. Since he was now the Pontiac (sorry, pontifex maximus), he wanted to learn how to design all these shrines for the minor gods and goddesses. So I was left to myself for the morning. I ended up hanging out with Grover by the strawberry fields while he played his pan pipes to the plants. He'd gotten astronomically better—his version of a Taylor Swift song actually made the strawberries seem to perk up, rather than try to strangle themselves with their own leaves. It felt like old times, the two of us just hanging out, swapping stories about our summers. He hadn't exactly had it easy either, with the way Gaea had been manipulating the nature spirits.

"But it's settled down now," he said. "I mean, there's still the drought and wildfires in the west, but mostly nature is getting back to normal."

"I like normal." I leaned back, eyes closed, feeling the sun on my face. "Normal is good."

"Normal is good," Grover agreed. Shouts rose from the lava wall and we both turned to look as fire spewed up and a couple of campers dropped to the ground, rolling in the dirt to put out their burning t-shirts. "Or, you know, whatever passes for normal around here."

Later in the morning, Grover headed off to meet Juniper for a picnic in the woods. Which reminded me, Annabeth's and my one year anniversary was coming up in a couple weeks.

Wow. One year. A slow grin spread across my face. And then a trickle of fear crept up my back. Oh schist, I probably needed to plan something. And it probably needed to be something good. I gulped. Okay, mental note to self, work on planning something for our anniversary.

Since there was some time before lunch, I wandered over to the stables to check on Blackjack. Anger flared in my chest when I thought about the stupid giant Orion and what he'd done, not just to my pegasus, but to the Amazons and Hunters. Thankfully, Thalia was okay. And Reyna had given the giant exactly what he deserved. Still, a part of me felt like marching into the Underworld and shooting an arrow into his side, then yelling, "See how you like it, butt-for-brains!"

I spotted Piper in the arts and crafts cabin, working on something with her siblings Lacy and Mitchell. The three of them were laughing and looked like they were having a good time. I waved to Piper and she smiled and waved back. Her eyes did a quick flick to the sky over my shoulder, then she went back to working on her project with her siblings. I did a quick skycheck, too, just in case. Nico had confirmed that Leo was dead, but hey, if anyone could make the comeback of the century, it was Valdez. It seemed too soon to give up hope. I wondered if he'd managed to find his way back to Calypso's island. If not, there was something else I needed to add to my mental to-do list: make sure the gods actually freed her this time. I owed her, and Leo, that.

Blackjack was curled up on a bed of straw when I got to the stables. His side was bandaged, but he looked better. He whinnied in greeting. Hey there, boss! How's it going?

"Not bad." I sat down on the straw next to him and stroked his muzzle. "How are you feeling, big guy?"

Blackjack tossed his head. Oh, you know. Been better. Wish I could have given that giant a good hoof to the head. Um, oh, sorry about that, by the way, boss. I wouldn't have done it if you'd been yourself.

Truthfully, I'd forgotten about Blackjack kicking me when I'd been possessed by the eidolon in Kansas, though now that he reminded me, I could almost feel the throb in my head. "It's cool, buddy. You probably saved my life." I reached into the bag I'd grabbed earlier at breakfast. "By the way, I brought you something that might help."

Blackjack's ears perked up and his nostrils flared, sniffing at the ring of powdered sugar goodness in my hand. You brought me a doughnut?

"Actually," I lifted five more treats from the bag and laid them neatly on the straw, "I brought you half a dozen doughnuts."

If pegasi could get teary-eyed, I think Blackjack would have been. Aw, boss. You're the best. Once I'm healed up, anywhere you want to go, I'm your horse.

"Thanks, Blackjack." I scratched behind his ears. "Rest up and feel better."

I left him to his doughnuts, which I didn't think would last long. Outside the stables I stopped and took a deep breath. My eyes drifted to the top of Half-Blood Hill, where Thalia's pine towered with the Golden Fleece glittering in its branches and Peleus the dragon snoozing around the base, steam from his nostrils drifting through the air. Now, too, the Athena Parthenos crowned the hillside, shimmering in the summer heat, regally surveying the valley. I thought about Thalia's stand, about what we'd gone through to retrieve the Fleece what felt like forever ago, what Annabeth had endured to find the Athena Parthenos, how Reyna and Nico had struggled to bring it here. Lots of pain, but the payoff was worth it, right? Since now we could all be here, protected in our valley, and on peaceful terms with the Romans. And on the other side of that hill was Farm Road 3.141, which eventually met up with the Long Island Expressway, which eventually led into Manhattan. A lump formed in my throat, but I swallowed it back.

Lunch was pretty laid back today, just some platters of fruit and sandwiches set out. I grabbed a few sandwiches, then headed down to the lake because I'd spotted a couple of familiar figures sitting at a picnic table near the water.

Annabeth's sketchbook was open on the table and she was making notes and pointing out features of whatever it was she was sketching, saying things like, "Yeah, see, the load needs to be distributed like this for the arch to work properly" while Jason nodded and asked occasional questions, thoughtfully studying the design.

"Hey," I said as I reached them and took a seat at the picnic table across from Annabeth.

"Hey, man. Thanks!" Jason grinned and took the sandwich I handed him. Annabeth wiggled her fingers at me without looking up, then went back to her drawing. I set a sandwich next to her sketchbook and raised my eyebrows at Jason.

"Basic architecture lessons, using a possible design for Kymopoleia's shrine," he explained. "I made a promise, after all."

"She did save our butts at the bottom of the Aegean," I admitted. "So are the action figures and trading cards coming out next week?"

Jason chuckled ruefully. "Those might be a little trickier to figure out, but I'm working on it."

I cracked a smile. Annabeth, still scribbling away, was oblivious. I asked Jason, "You doing okay, bro? After…you know."

Jason's shoulders slumped for a second. He ran a hand over his hair and exhaled. "It's been rough. I keep thinking," he glanced at the sky over Long Island Sound, then shook his head, "I keep expecting him to just swoop in, you know, and start cracking jokes. But…" his voice trailed off.

Annabeth finally looked up. "It's Leo," she said gently. "If anyone can manage the impossible, it's him."

"Says the demigod who found the Athena Parthenos and survived Tartarus," Jason said with a half-smile.

"I had some help." The look she gave me was quick but it made my chest feel warm. "Besides, if anything, that just means I know what I'm talking about when I say that Leo can manage to make it back. He did have the cure, after all. What does Piper say?"

Jason's eyes briefly lost focus. "We had a long talk about it last night actually."

I couldn't help it. I grinned. "A talk, huh?"

"Percy!" Annabeth kicked my shin under the table, but Jason returned the grin.

"Well, we did some talking anyway. Point is, we've decided we're not giving up hope. Not yet anyway."

"Good," Annabeth said. "When it's somebody important, you have to keep believing in them, keep believing that they'll find their way back." There was a wistfulness in her voice that made me suspect she wasn't only talking about Leo.

"Yeah." Jason adjusted his glasses. "Anyway, back to the shrine. What were you saying about the support columns to roof area ratio?"

"So it's all about properly distributing the load," and they were off, discussing different details and design techniques. I ate a sandwich, not really listening. Truthfully, I was perfectly happy for Jason to take over the responsibility of making sure the minor gods got respect. And as much as I love Annabeth, when she starts talking architecture, she might as well be speaking Greek. Or some other language I don't understand, like Japanese or in Egyptian hieroglyphics. But I like watching the way her eyes light up and how animated she gets when she's discussing a project. And luckily today I could just observe, while I ate my second sandwich, since she was talking to Jason, who was a very good listener, frowning thoughtfully and occasionally asking questions or making suggestions. He reminded me of Thalia, but I kept that thought to myself and went back to admiring the way the afternoon sunlight made Annabeth's hair glow like gold.

"Awesome," Jason said finally when they'd agreed on the plans. 'That should make Kym happy."

"Hopefully." Annabeth erased a line, redrew it, and nodded. "Those are the basic principles anyway. As soon as you feel like you've got the designs where you want them, let me know."

"Thanks. It might be a few months, though, before I get them all finished."

"No rush. Whenever you get done, just send me the designs. I'll get them to Malcolm, he's great with the logistics of building, and we'll be able to start construction."

"Shouldn't it go to Jake Mason or Nyssa Barrera in Hephaestus?" I asked.

"Athena has some good builders too, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth nudged my foot with her toe. "The Hephaestus cabin got to disassemble the onagers. We can't let them have all the fun."

"You and I have very different definitions of fun," I told her.

She quirked an eyebrow at me, the hint of a smirk playing over her lips, suggesting that wasn't always true, and I felt my face heat up.

Jason cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for the help, Annabeth. Same time tomorrow for another lesson?"

"Sounds good. And I'll bring you those books from my cabin. They're a good resource for design and structure."

When Jason left, Annabeth drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. The warm breeze ruffled the ends of her hair. When she opened her eyes, their color was softer, more early morning fog than storm clouds. "Hi, by the way."

"Hi." I reached across the table to take her hand, lacing our fingers together, content for the moment just to be close. In the hectic craziness of the last few days, I hadn't seen her much.

"Busy few days, right?" she asked. "That's what you're thinking, isn't it?"

A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "How do you always do that?"

She squeezed my hand, an unspoken _I know you_. "I bet I can also guess where you want to go next, now that things have calmed down a bit."

A sudden, unexpected lump bounced up in my throat. "Um, yeah. Will—will you come with me?"

"Of course, Percy." She smiled and squeezed my hand again. "Let's go find a ride."

* * *

We borrowed the camp SUV. Mrs. O'Leary was taking a nap in the arena, Blackjack obviously was still recovering, and I didn't really want to bother any of the other pegasi or borrow the flying chariot (which Will seemed reluctant to lend to Annabeth anyway, for some reason). Besides, after the past few months, I thought it might be nice to travel like normal mortals for a change. I even asked Chiron's permission to borrow the SUV. Connor Stoll would have hot-wired it for me no problem, but I figured Chiron had been through enough stress recently.

It's about a two hour drive from camp to Manhattan. Familiar landmarks rushed past on the highway. For example, I recognized an exit with a great pancake house. I remembered stopping there last summer, after the Titan War, when my mom had picked Annabeth and me up from camp. It was off the highway a bit, down a road that eventually led to the beach. We'd stopped at that pancake place again on our way to camp for winter break, back in December. That was the last time I'd seen my mom. My hands clenched on the steering wheel. I didn't realize I was jittery until Annabeth put her hand on my knee, which was jiggling up and down.

"Relax, Seaweed Brain," she said. "They'll be thrilled to see you."

"Yeah." My voice cracked and I swallowed. "It's just—been a long time, you know?"

She squeezed my knee. "Believe me, I know."

I must have looked confused because she continued by saying, "I visited your mom at least once a week while you were gone, Percy. I know that's not quite the same as being yanked out of your life and losing all your memories, but trust me, we felt exactly how long you were gone." She drew a shaky breath and leaned back against the passenger seat, crossing her arms.

Silence settled over the car. I tried to imagine, again, what that would be like, not knowing for months where Annabeth was, if she was okay, if she was even alive. I would have gone crazy. Sometimes I almost thought I'd gotten the better end of the deal, which was really not saying much because my end of the deal had sucked. Then something else she'd said clicked into place. "Wait, you visited my mom once a week?"

"At least." She was facing away from me, looking out the window. "We had to keep reassuring each other that you would be okay. That you always come home."

There was a dam lump in my throat again. "I do my best."

Annabeth looked over at me with a small smile. "I know you do."

Keeping my eyes on the truck merging in front of us, I reached for her hand. "And I didn't lose all of my memories." I kissed the back of her hand. "I never forgot you."

When it was safe to glance over, I guessed it wasn't only the late afternoon sunlight making her face shine. Then she shook her head. "You are so annoying."

"Huh?"

"You keep bringing that up when we're either surrounded by people or like now," she gestured at the traffic, which was steadily increasing the closer we got to the city, "when it wouldn't be safe for me to kiss you until you can't breathe."

A slow grin spread across my face. "My bad. Remind me to mention it again when we're alone and standing still."

"Oh I will." Her eyes sparkled. "See? Sometimes we have the same definition of fun."

* * *

Thanks to the rush hour traffic, it was after six by the time we reached the Upper East Side. Nervous butterflies were thrashing around my stomach as the street numbers ticked by…78th…79th…80th. For a few ridiculous moments, I was afraid I wouldn't recognize my block or building. But I shouldn't have worried. The minute I turned onto the street, my shoulders relaxed, even before I saw Paul's pegasus-stomped Prius parked at the curb across the street.

"Good spot," I noted.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long to find one myself. And then I was standing in front of my building again for the first time since December.

My nerves mounted as we climbed the stairs. I reached for Annabeth's hand and she squeezed my fingers. When we got to the fifth floor, my heart went Ka-floompf at the sight of the familiar door. Hesitantly, feeling a little dumb but not wanting to just barge in on my parents after nearly eight months, I knocked.

No response.

I knocked again, more firmly. Still nothing.

I glanced at Annabeth. She shrugged. Reaching into my jeans pocket, I fished out my key, which had luckily been sitting where I left it months ago, beside my bunk in Cabin Three. Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door.

Inside, the apartment was dark.

"Mom?" I called. "Paul?"

Nothing. A quick walk-through proved what I'd already suspected. They weren't home. My eyes stung.

"Percy, I'm sure they'll be back soon." Annabeth gripped my arm. "They probably just went out to dinner or something."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right." I sniffed and swiped a hand quickly across my eyes, a bit ashamed of myself, but unable to help it.

"Oh, Percy." Annabeth hugged me.

"I'm fine," I lied, my voice muffled against her hair.

"I know." The familiar lemon scent of her shampoo was reassuring.

After a few moments, I got ahold of myself. This time, when I said, "I'm fine," it wasn't a lie. "I just thought they'd be here."

"To be fair, they didn't know we were coming over tonight," Annabeth said gently.

"Yeah." I managed a half smile. "Should be a good surprise when they get home, though, right?"

Annabeth snorted. "Unless it sends them into cardiac arrest."

"Oh gods." I shook the image of my mom and Paul keeling over in the doorway from shock out of my head. "Come on. While we've got time, I should probably check out my room."

Now I hadn't seen my bedroom in almost eight months. That is to say, I didn't remember exactly where and how I'd left every little thing. But I knew for sure that I had absolutely not left it like this.

"It's so—" I stepped into the center of the room and turned slowly, gaping, "—clean."

Annabeth smirked as she leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed. "You sound shocked."

"I didn't know I had this much floor space. There's usually a pile of clothes over there. Sometimes here. A few shoes around. Basketball, skateboard. Maybe a spear or two."

"Oh I've seen it. I think your mom decided to clean when she packed your stuff for your cabin on the Argo II."

I stopped gawking at the clean room and turned to Annabeth in surprise. "She did that?"

"Who else? And then I took it to camp." She tilted her head. "How did you think your clothes and stuff got on the ship?"

Honestly, and this is super embarrassing to admit, it had never even crossed my mind to wonder how my favorite shirts and jeans and sneakers had ended up in my cabin on the Argo II. The food in the mess hall magically appeared; I guess I assumed my clothes did too. I didn't admit this now, but Annabeth read my face and muttered, "Seaweed Brain."

"There was a lot of other stuff going on!" I protested.

"Your head," she came closer until she could tap her index finger against my forehead, "is full of kelp."

"I'm gonna let you have that one, Wise Girl." My hands drifted to her waist. "So you helped my mom make sure all my favorite stuff got on the ship?"

"Of course. We wanted you to have everything you needed."

"And you designed my cabin on the Argo II."

"Mmhm." Her fingers traced my biceps. "What can I say? I missed you."

I tugged her closer. "So, amazing girlfriend, how long has it been since I actually got to kiss you at my apartment?"

"Seven months, two weeks, and about ten days," she answered immediately.

I raised an eyebrow.

"I was already trying to figure out when the last time we were here together was," she explained. "You kissed me hello when I came over the day your mom drove us to camp. At the beginning of break last winter."

And suddenly, just like that, it was as if the last month and a half never happened. All I could feel, standing there in my eerily clean bedroom, was the weight of all the time I had lost. Time I'd lost with Annabeth. With my mom and Paul. With Tyson, Grover, and the rest of my friends. Resentment and anger swelled up in my throat. Once again, I had a flash of understanding Luke's frustration with the gods.

But then I remembered Akhlys. How I'd scared myself, and the way Annabeth had looked at me then, compared to the way she was looking at me now. Never again, I'd promised myself. Swallowing the darker feelings, I focused on the moment I was in right now, the room dim in the fading evening light, Annabeth pressed close in my arms in an otherwise empty apartment. My voice was a little hoarse when I said, "I missed you, too. Seven months, or six, or whatever, is way too long to go without kissing you."

Her hands moved from my arms to my neck and her voice was teasing as she said, "So what are you going to do about it, Seaweed Brain?"

I kissed her. Obviously. And it felt like being reunited at Camp Jupiter, like the first time in months, fresh and familiar all at once, and so completely right.

It was good to be home.


	2. The Best Dinner Ever

When my parents finally came home, Annabeth and I were sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV. I figured getting caught making out in my bedroom would be the kind of super awkward reunion I'd rather avoid. We were watching some competitive cooking show, which was making me very hungry, when I heard the key turn in the lock.

I shot up, eyes on the door. It started to open, then stopped about halfway and I heard Paul say, "Honey, did you leave the light on? And the TV?"

And then my mom's voice. "No, I don't think—"

I could almost visualize the moment in the hall as they looked at each other before bursting through the door.

I was standing. I'd planned to say something like, "Hey, I'm home. Sorry I put you guys through hell, too," but when I heard my mom's voice, mine deserted me. Instead, what I managed was a weak, watery, "Mom."

For a split second she stood frozen in the doorway, like she couldn't believe, or didn't trust, her eyes. Her long brown hair with the few gray streaks was loose and she was wearing a nice dress and high heeled shoes, like she'd been at a fancy dinner. She raised a hand to her mouth, then her face crumpled. The high heels didn't stop her from practically flying across the room to throw her arms around me in the tightest (but possibly best) hug ever. She didn't even say anything. She just hugged me and sobbed. I may have cried too, just a little bit. Embarrassing? Maybe. But it had been a rough year.

Finally, my mom got a little bit of a grip. She stepped back, then took my face in her hands, marveling like she wasn't sure I was really here. "Percy. I can't believe—you're so tall and you look so grown up." But I must have still looked enough like her baby because she kissed my cheeks and my forehead, even my nose. "You're here. You're home."

"I did promise," I croaked.

She laughed at that, still wiping away tears, both hers and mine. "You did. And I knew you'd keep it."

"He had a little help," Annabeth said and my mom laughed again.

"That's why I'm always glad you two have each other, dear." After another kiss on the cheek, my mom released me to hug Annabeth, which gave Paul an opportunity to engulf me in a bear hug.

He clapped me on the back, his voice gruff as he said, "Percy. Welcome back."

I forced myself to keep it together this time. "Thanks, Paul. It's good to be back."

My mom and Annabeth were having a quiet conversation. I didn't catch any of it, but when they broke apart they were both wiping their eyes.

"How long have you been here?" Paul asked.

"Just about an hour or so," I said.

Paul shook his head. "We met a couple of friends from our old writing class for dinner. If we'd known you were here, obviously…"

"It's cool." I shrugged. "I probably should have called."

"Are you kids hungry?" my mom asked. "Why don't we go back out and get you some food?" One of the great things about my mom—she always has her priorities straight. I haven't seen my son in seven months; he must be hungry. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere with a good burger is fine by me," I said.

"That sounds perfect," Annabeth agreed.

"There's a great place on the west side," Paul said. "We went there a couple months ago, Sally, remember? They have those fantastic specialty martinis. Maybe we can get a couple of those again while the kids eat."

A strange look flickered briefly across my mom's face, then she hitched her smile back. "Or I might try one of those flavored lemonades tonight. They looked good too."

"Whatever you want." Paul kissed her cheek.

"And while we eat," my mom continued as we headed out the door, "you two can fill us in on everything that's happened. Starting, Perseus, with that tattoo."

* * *

My mom didn't grill me too much about my tattoo, especially once I explained more about it. But as soon as the drinks arrived and we'd placed our orders, she looked me straight in the eye and said seriously, "Spill."

I took a deep breath. Then, like a floodgate bursting, I spilled. I started with waking up in the Wolf House with no memory—"Well, almost no memory," I corrected, glancing at Annabeth. "I, uh, remembered Annabeth. I mean, who she was and, like, that she was my girlfriend. But not, you know, how we met or where she lived, which would have been helpful."

My mom and Paul exchanged a look with raised eyebrows, both clearly trying to hide their smiles.

"Priorities," Paul offered, then took a sip of his martini.

My mom laughed. Annabeth's cheeks were red and I was pretty sure mine were too. Mom gestured for me to continue. "Okay, honey. So you woke up with almost no memories. Then what happened?"

By the time our appetizers arrived (mozzarella sticks, onion rings, and spinach and artichoke dip with blue corn chips—yep, I was glad to be back home), I'd covered my time at Camp Jupiter up to Alaska, including how awesome Frank and Hazel had been. In between bites, I covered the fights with Alcyoneus, then Polybotes, and being elected praetor, plus persuading the Romans to let the Argo II approach safely.

Paul pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. "So you did all of that before you even boarded the ship that took you to…Europe, right?"

"To the ancient lands," Annabeth said, taking the last mozzarella stick. She must have noticed me eyeing it, because she cut it in half and handed me a piece. "Italy and Greece. The original birthplace of the gods. And the monsters."

Paul nodded thoughtfully. "I studied abroad in London when I was in college, and I visited Rome one weekend, but I'm guessing your experience was a bit different than mine."

Annabeth and I exchanged a look. "Probably a bit," I admitted.

"Wait, back up." My mom held up her hands. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Before we get to Europe, I want to hear what happened when you two finally saw each other."

"She judo-flipped me." I mimed the action as I swallowed my last bite of mozzarella stick. "And made it clear I'd better never pull a stunt like that again."

Paul chuckled. My mom smiled sweetly and took a bite of a blue corn chip. "Well, dear, having you gone for so long was very stressful on all of us."

"Thank you," Annabeth said. She picked up the story. "So anyway, we arrived at Camp Jupiter, and everything was going well at first…"

By the time our burgers arrived, we'd covered our trip across the US up to Charleston, including my unfortunate experiences in Kansas and at the Atlanta aquarium (although we might have skipped over the night in the stables—my mom and stepdad didn't need to know everything). They were both suitably impressed with Annabeth's plan to throw her dagger into the harbor and get my attention.

While we ate our burgers, Annabeth and I took turns telling the story of our trip across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean, including everything that happened in Rome, up to the floor collapsing in Arachne's cavern. I paused there, not sure how to explain what happened next. Annabeth kept her eyes on her plate, toying with her French fries, like she didn't want to meet my mom's eyes.

My mom, however, helped us out by asking, "That's where it happened, isn't it? When you two fell into Tartarus?"

That caught me by surprise. "How did you know?"

"Rachel and Grover stopped by to see me a few weeks ago. They said they were on the way to some diplomatic mission, but they thought I should know what happened." Her gaze was gentle when she asked, "How did it happen?"

"It was my fault," Annabeth said softly. "I—well, I messed up in a couple different ways, but the final screw-up was that I didn't cut off the spider webs I was covered in. One of those webs was attached to a piece of something that had fallen into the pit. It dragged me down with it."

"I managed to grab her arm before she went over the edge," I said. "But it pulled me down, too. I grabbed this ledge, but there was no way to cut the string on Annabeth's leg. I knew the Doors of Death had to be closed on the Tartarus side if we were going to stop Gaea's minions from coming back. And I knew we had a much better chance of surviving if we were together. So," I shrugged, "I told Nico to lead the others to Epirus, where the mortal side of the Doors was, and then I let go of the ledge."

Annabeth's shoulders were hunched, like she was afraid my mom might yell at her. I took her hand, lacing our fingers together under the table. When she met my eyes, I said, "And I would make the same choice a thousand times over. No question."

She gave me a tiny smile. Meanwhile my mom was studying us both, but she nodded for me to continue just as Paul asked, "So it was a real place?"

I exhaled. "Oh yeah." And then, once again taking turns, we told them about Tartarus. We'd told our friends on the Argo II bits and pieces, and the two of us had discussed it some, but my parents were excellent listeners and, honestly, it felt good to share. Although Annabeth and I did water down the details as much as we could. But it's hard to make the pit of eternal damnation sound like anything less than, well, hell. We settled for skipping over the most horrific parts, like what happened between me and Akhlys, or the full horror of Tartarus himself when he took form. We did tell them about Bob and Damasen (and Small Bob, of course) and everything they'd done for us. That part was hard to talk about. But we'd promised to keep their memory alive, and it was a promise I intended to keep.

We had finished our burgers and fries, and all of us were on our third drinks (Paul had switched to flavored lemonade too after his first martini) by the time we described the last two weeks crossing Greece, the fight at the Parthenon, and what had happened at Camp Half-Blood. When we finished with Leo's sacrifice in the skies over Half-Blood Hill, Paul looked shell-shocked and my mom's eyes were filled with tears. Annabeth leaned her head against my shoulder. I felt drained, but also as if a huge weight had been lifted off my chest.

My mom took a deep breath. "Well it sounds like you've had a very tough couple of months. But you survived. And you're home now." She reached across the table and grasped my and Annabeth's hands. "You've both been so brave. We're proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Thank you, Sally."

Paul ran a hand over his head, but nodded. "And I'm sorry you lost some friends again this summer. But it sounds like you two, and the rest of your friends on the Argo II, have pretty well surpassed any of the old heroes. At least the ones I've read about."

And that, I thought, was pretty high praise.

My mom wiped her eyes and clapped her hands. "Now, the next important question is, who wants dessert?"

After the waiter left, Annabeth nudged me with her elbow. "So, Seaweed Brain, do you want to tell your mom about your plan?"

I stared at her blankly. "What plan?"

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Percy? About New Rome. College."

"College?" My mom perked up, looking from Annabeth to me. "You have a plan for college, honey?"

"Uh, yeah, kind of." I took a deep breath. Then I told my mom about the university in New Rome, how they had an entire safe haven city where demigods could go to college and grow up, safe and protected from monsters. "So, I was, uh, thinking I'd like to go to college there. Annabeth too. Right?"

"Right." She smiled.

My mom's eyes never left my face. They looked a little watery again. Almost whispering, she said, "You want to go to college?"

"Yeah." Now I smiled. "Yeah, I do."

"Oh, honey!" Mom reached across the table and kissed my cheek. "That's wonderful!"

She peppered me with questions for the next couple of minutes, some of which I knew the answers to, most of which I didn't, although Annabeth jumped in to help me a couple times.

I was just explaining that no, I didn't know what I wanted to major in yet when, with perfect timing, the waiter brought out the dessert—a brownie sundae. You wouldn't think one dessert would be enough for four people to split, but this thing was massive. It definitely felt like a celebration. The only way it would have been better would have been if it was blue.

"Well, college plans and a safe return home are certainly worth celebrating," Paul said. "But there's some other good news too. Right, Sally?"

A weird, almost surprised look flickered briefly over my mom's face, but disappeared in a blink. Then she smiled widely. "Oh, goodness, yes. I nearly forgot." She turned to me, still beaming. "I finally finished my novel, honey. I was able to find an agent, and they sold it to a publisher. It's going to be published in the spring."

I was momentarily stunned, but then a grin crept across my face. I knew this had been my mom's dream for forever. "Mom, that's awesome!"

"Thank you, honey."

"Congratulations!" Annabeth said. "What's it about?"

While we finished the cake, my mom told us all about her book. I remembered parts of it from stories she'd told me at Montauk, back when it was just her and me escaping from Smelly Gabe for the weekend. Gods, that felt like a different lifetime. In a lot of ways, maybe it was. Instead of being stuck with repulsive Smelly Gabe and working long hours at a dead-end job, my mom had a great, nice husband, she was living her dream of being a writer, and she seemed really happy. The kid who I was before Camp Half-Blood had been expelled from six schools in six years and figured his best chance at a future would just be avoiding prison. Now, I'd survived two wars, multiple quests, the worst the Greek mythological universe could throw at me, and I was planning on going to college with my amazing girlfriend.

The Fates might try to keep things twisted, but right now, back in New York with my family, life was good.

* * *

It was getting late by the time we made it back to our block.

"Are you headed back to camp tonight?" my mom asked.

"Yeah." I felt a bit guilty about leaving again so soon. "There's still some clean-up work to do after this summer. But I'll be home in a week or two," I added hastily. "You know, before school starts. Which, uh, am I going back to Goode?"

The look that Paul and my mom exchanged said Probably not. My mom sighed. "If not, sweetheart, don't worry. We'll get you in somewhere." Her expression brightened. "If you want to go to college, we're going to help you get there."

"Thanks, Mom." I hugged her.

She held on for several long moments before taking my face in her hands, forcing me to look at her like no one else was around. "I love you, Percy. And I am so, so proud of who you are and who you are becoming. I'm sure your father is, too." She smiled then and kissed my forehead before hugging me again. "Oh, I'm so glad you're home."

"Me too, Mom." I swallowed hard. "Love you."

After a flurry of good-byes, Annabeth and I were back in the camp SUV headed to Long Island. Annabeth offered to drive if I was tired, but I was good. I figured it was the right call when she yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she said, "It's going to be at least midnight by the time we get back." She tucked her legs up on the seat. "Feel better?"

"Oh yeah. Honestly, I feel like the sky has been lifted off my shoulders. Again."

Annabeth gave a small laugh. "Good."

We were quiet for a few miles. I hadn't been kidding. After seeing my parents and being back in my apartment (not to mention eating a freaking fantastic cheeseburger), it felt as if a million pounds of pressure had disappeared from my shoulders. Just like when the eidolon left my brain or when I'd spent the night in the stables with Annabeth, I felt like my soul was once more settling comfortably in my body.

We were about halfway across Long Island when a particular exit sign caught my eye again. I glanced over at Annabeth, still curled up on the passenger seat, frowning slightly as she stared off into space. I could practically see the equations running through her brain, even without knowing what they would be for—maybe another architecture lesson for the new shrines or just practicing for AP Calculus in the fall? In her usual camp uniform of jean shorts and an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, hair up in a messy ponytail, she looked really cute.

Another sign flicked past—one mile to the exit. Remembering what Annabeth had said earlier, I decided to go for it.

"Hey, Wise Girl?"

"Hmm?" she answered, but her eyes were still far away. I debated running the "hey, so my hair's on fire" test, but decided she wasn't quite that far gone.

Instead I asked, "Do you trust me?"

That pretty effectively cleared the fog from her eyes. She sat up straighter. "Usually. Why?"

"Since we're already going to be getting back late, how do you feel about taking a small detour?"

The exit sign was now visible ahead. She caught sight of it and her lips curved into a smile. A warm feeling started in my chest. "I think that sounds like a good plan, Seaweed Brain."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Author's Note: (SPOILER WARNING): Sally's occasional weird expressions are a reference to the fact that, based on the timeline from Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, it seems likely she would have just found out she was pregnant with Estelle in early August, when this story is set. My guess for this story is that she hasn't told anyone yet, including Paul, because she's not sure, but she skips the alcohol just to be safe.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for the kudos and comments on this story (and on my other stories)! I hope you enjoy this second chapter. The third chapter will be up next week. Also, bonus blue cookies to anyone who can spot the tiny Lightning Thief Musical reference in this chapter.***


	3. Alone and Standing Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, this chapter is basically just pure fluff as Percy and Annabeth decompress from a long, tough quest. Enjoy! Fourth and final chapter will be up next week. Thank you again for the kudos and reviews!

* * *

I took the exit, which deposited us on a road full of closed restaurants, empty shops, and dark houses. The last time we'd been here, my mom had taken us to a great pancake place on this street. Of course, like all the other stuff, it was closed now, but that was fine. The restaurant wasn't my goal (although they did have amazing pancakes). I'd remembered something else about this exit: there was a great beach overlook at the end of the road. I met Annabeth's eyes briefly and she smiled in a way that sent shivers racing down my spine, congregating at my former Achilles spot.

While it had been nice being invulnerable, I wasn't sorry that I'd lost it. I hadn't realized until the curse (gift, whatever) was washed away in the Little Tiber exactly how much I'd given up for it. Part of the reason, I suspected, that my Achilles spot had been so hypersensitive was because the rest of my invulnerable skin was just slightly numb. It was like I had a thin layer of armor over my skin, which was great in battle but meant I couldn't really feel anything else, not in the same way I had before.

It took me a while to piece together this revelation. When Hazel kissed my cheek on the flight to Alaska, I figured the warm, fuzzy feeling was just because I appreciated the gesture. When Tyson hugged me before the battle at Camp Jupiter and it seemed extra enthusiastic, I figured I'd just really missed him. Same for when I kissed Annabeth in New Rome. I assumed it felt so sensational just because I'd missed her so frickin' badly.

But when I woke up in sick bay after getting kicked in the head by Blackjack, it occurred to me that I could really feel the light brush of Annabeth's fingertips against my temple. Later, after the eidolon was pulled out of my skull, I noticed how warm and soft her hands felt on my forearms when she kissed me good night (before she came back and woke me up for our late night stroll to the stables).

I didn't totally put it together, though, until Frank and I broke through the glass at Porky's stupid aquarium exhibit. I was covered in dozens of tiny nicks, cuts, and scrapes, which freaking stung, but I realized I could feel them. I was aware of my skin again. That may sound weird, but it's true.

I kept finding excuses that evening to touch people (okay, that definitely sounds weird, but I don't mean it in a creepy way). I high-fived Coach Hedge for his goat kung fu against Keto and fist-bumped Leo for his stellar tofu tacos. I gave Hazel a one-armed hug when I tried to reassure her that we would still get to Nico in time, even though we were taking the long way to Charleston. I shook Frank's hand when I said thanks for having my back at the aquarium. I trailed my fingers down Annabeth's cheek and neck and arm when I kissed her good night. Heck, I even held my palm over a lit match, just to feel the heat (that hurt, I don't recommend it).

The shade of Achilles had warned me, before I bathed in the Styx, that I would "give up much" in my quest for invulnerability. I just didn't realize exactly how much it would cost.

Anyway, all this flashed through my mind as I turned down the dark access road that led to the beach.

"Hopefully there aren't any monsters around," Annabeth mused as the shapes of trees flashed past in the headlights.

"Nah, they're probably asleep by now," I said. "Did you even bring your sword?"

"It's on the back seat." Elbow on the armrest, she rested her chin on her hand. "It was a great gift, and I love it, but I think I need to find a new knife."

"What's wrong with a sword?"

"It's a little unwieldy to carry around," she admitted. "Not all of us have weapons that can turn into something small and portable."

"Yeah, I'm special that way."

I parked the SUV in the tiny lot beside the beach and killed the headlights. Sand drifted across the edges of the lot. Blue light from a few streetlamps puddled on the pavement. The only other light came from the stars and half-moon overhead. The parking lot sat up just enough above the beach that you could make out the line where the pale sand ended at the dark water about fifty feet away. Farther out, nearly to the horizon, lights winked, maybe from a fishing boat or a yacht (we weren't too far from the Hamptons after all). Luckily nothing as large as a cruise ship. I suppressed a shudder before turning my attention to the radio.

"So did you have a plan, Seaweed Brain, or…"

"Working on it." I fiddled with the ancient controls, moving the needle through static, a news channel, rap, more static, a sugary sweet pop song, a commercial for a mattress warehouse, another for a lawyer, more news, and more static before finding what I was looking for—a slow song. "Finally!"

"Percy, what—"

I scrambled out of the SUV and hurried around the front to open Annabeth's door. I leaned across her to turn the volume up, then straightened and held out my hand. "Dance with me."

A small intake of breath. Then she smiled and took my hand. "Okay."

On the borderline between sand and asphalt, underneath the streetlights and stars, we danced. A second slow song followed the first because every once in a very long while I get a moment of good luck. Annabeth moved closer, tucking her head against my shoulder, her breath on my neck giving me goosebumps. I had one arm around her waist, my hand resting in the small of her back, the other hand laced with hers and held between us. If I could have stopped time in that moment, I would have done it. I think there's a myth like that, where Zeus convinces Artemis or Selene or somebody to keep the moon in the sky and make the night last longer just so he could spend more time with his girlfriend. I don't usually have a lot in common with the lord of the sky, but for once I understood his reasoning.

As the second song ended, Annabeth pressed her lips against my neck, just below my ear. "I love you."

My heartbeat instantly skipped into double time. I traced my fingers up along the line of her spine. "I love you, too."

She moved just far enough back to meet my eyes. Her smile was teasing and beautiful. "Took you long enough to admit it."

I gave a half-shrug. "I'm slow on that stuff sometimes. You know me."

"I do. Besides, sometimes actions say more than words. Like, you know, when a guy goes with you to hell and back." Her lips brushed mine. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Of course." I smiled against her lips. She was so close it was painful to pull back, but I wanted to look her in the eyes for this next part. "For what it's worth, I knew for a long time before I said it. It's just a scary thing to say out loud, especially the first time."

"Yeah, it is," she agreed. Then the teasing tone came back. "Especially when you say it three times before your boyfriend says it back."

"You were keeping count? Wait," I frowned, "what was the third time?"

"There was Charleston, after you dunked Octavian in the harbor." Annabeth held up one finger, then a second. "Then falling into Tartarus because I decided that if—if we died on impact, I wanted those to be my last words, and—"

She didn't get to finish that sentence because I kissed her.

"Obviously I'm glad we didn't die," she said, a little breathlessly, when she pulled away.

"Ditto. What was the third time?"

"It's really encouraging that you obviously have such a great memory for me telling you I love you."

"I remembered the first two!" I protested. "I swear! But I can't think of the third."

"At the Doors of Death," she conceded. "You told me I was impossible and I said love you, too."

"Oh yeah." I had a vague recollection of that exchange. "To be fair, there was a lot of other stuff going on at the time."

"True. But that still puts me up by two."

"Not three?"

She shook her head. "Parthenon. I was too—whatever, to say it back, so you gained a point."

I could have made a joke about an "I love you" points system (could they be traded in for prizes like tickets at Chuck E. Cheese?) but the feeling I'd had standing in my bedroom, the weight of the months we'd been apart, was still with me, pressing on my chest. So instead of joking, I leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you." I kissed the corner of her eye. "I love you." I kissed her lips. "Does this make us even? No more keeping score?"

My hand had moved from her back to her throat, so I could feel her pulse racing when she said, "Yes. No more keeping score. Not that I really was anyway."

"I know." Out of habit, I did a quick monster check, but everything seemed quiet. Other than the radio still softly playing, the only other sound was the whoosh of waves on the beach. The solitude reminded me of my original reason for coming out here. Trying to keep a straight face, I said, "You know, we're alone. And standing still." I pretended to think hard (I've had a lot of practice with that). "Wasn't there something you were supposed to remind me about?"

Annabeth looked confused for a moment, then a wicked little smile crept across her face and my nerves sizzled. "Oh yeah, I think there was." She draped her arms loosely around my neck. "Something about how you didn't quite lose all of your memories."

"That rings a bell." I locked eyes with her, my arms around her waist. "So, once upon a time, a little Greek demigod woke up at the Wolf House—"

"Percy!"

"Okay, okay. But seriously, when I woke up at the Wolf House, cold and confused and surrounded by wolves, I only knew two things for sure. My name…and yours. The only clear memory I had was of your face." I raised a hand to brush my fingers across her cheek. "And the way you laugh and kiss me when I do something dumb. I figured you must have kissed me a lot."

She laughed at that, even though I could see the tears sparkling in her eyes. "That's because you can be such a seaweed brain sometimes." Her thumb traced my jawline. "But you're my Seaweed Brain. And I love you."

"I love you, Annabeth."

And then she kissed me until I literally couldn't breathe. It was awesome.

When we eventually broke apart, we were both gasping.

"You—weren't kidding," I managed.

"No—way." Suddenly though she stiffened and put a hand on my chest. "Percy, something's wrong."

Still out of breath, but instantly alert, I tried to focus, my hand automatically drifting to Riptide in my pocket. Something was definitely different, but it took me a moment to figure out what it was. Once I realized what had happened, though, I muttered, "Oh big steaming pile of schist."

"Um, what?"

I disentangled myself from Annabeth, but grabbed her hand and pulled her with me over to the SUV, just in case I was wrong and there was a monster lurking around. "The music's off. That's the difference. I think…" I reached in the door and tried to start the old camp SUV. Nothing happened. "Yep. The battery's dead."

Annabeth's free hand covered her mouth. For a second, I thought she was going to yell at me for being such an idiot. Then her shoulders started to shake. Before I'd completely realized what was happening, she was practically doubled over laughing. "Oh my gods," she managed between giggles, "this would only happen to us."

I couldn't help it. I started laughing too. We laughed until my stomach hurt and tears were streaming down Annabeth's cheeks.

When we finally hiccupped our way to semi-seriousness, we were sitting side by side on the ground, leaning against the front tire.

"Stupid camp car." I gave the tire a half-hearted thump with my fist. "That battery's probably thirty years old."

"Or the Stolls ran it down." Annabeth swiped the last laughing tears off her cheeks. She checked her phone. "It's almost one in the morning."

"We could call my parents, I guess," I suggested. "Although they'll probably wonder why we weren't at camp an hour ago. And it's going to take them at least that long to get out here. Plus, I'm not even sure the Prius has jumper cables. Unless there are some in the back of this thing." I hit the tire with my fist again.

"Don't worry, we don't need to wake your mom and Paul up." Annabeth was scrolling through her contacts list. "Who do we know that's good with electricity and can probably get here a lot faster than your parents?"

"I like the way you think, but Jason doesn't have a phone. And I don't think we're going to have much luck with an Iris-message out here, even if Fleecy does me a solid."

"If who does what? Never mind," she waved her hand. "I have a plan."

"That's my girl. Saving my butt yet again."

"As usual." But she nudged my leg with her knee when she said it. She must have found the right contact because her phone was now tucked against her ear. I kept an eye open for monsters, just in case, while Annabeth muttered, "Come on, pick up, pick up, I know your phone is always right by—Drew, hi, it's Annabeth."

I have to admit I was impressed at the stream of cursing coming down the line. Annabeth just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know, beauty sleep, but I need a favor…because you owe me one…oh my gods, Drew, this isn't even hard. Just hand the phone to Piper…I assumed she was asleep…so wake her up and I'll owe her one…Are you kidding me?" Annabeth banged her head lightly against the tire, then sighed. "Okay, I didn't want to do this, but I have one word for you: Boston."

Drew's voice went silent. Then, faintly, I heard, "I'm handing the phone to Piper."

"Thank you." Annabeth exhaled. "Yes, of course I'll continue to keep that just between us. You're welcome."

I started to ask, "What was that—" but Annabeth covered my mouth with her free hand.

"Piper, hey, it's Annabeth. Listen, I'm sorry to wake you up, but Percy and I kind of have a problem and I need your help." I didn't hear what Piper said, but Annabeth's ears turned bright crimson red. "Not _that_ kind of problem! Oh my gods, Piper—our car has a dead battery and I was hoping you could get Jason and come help us jump it…Yeah…Yeah…I wouldn't call you in the middle of the night about…yeah, let's go with that." She was knocking her head against the tire again, ears still red, hand still over my mouth as she gave Piper directions to our location. "Yeah, I thought it might be too far for Jason to fly. You could probably take Guido, he's usually up for anything…Quietly, yeah, Chiron doesn't need to know. Although I guess we'll have to tell him about the battery. Unless someone in Hephaestus or Hermes can get it replaced. Anyway, sorry, not important right now…You're the best…Yeah, we'll see you guys in about half an hour…Thank you so much…Okay, bye."

Setting down her phone, Annabeth leaned back against the tire and closed her eyes. Her left hand was still covering my mouth. So I licked it.

"Are you serious?" she shrieked, sitting bolt upright and snatching her hand away. "Ew, Percy!"

"Are _you_ serious?" I laughed. "We were totally making out fifteen minutes ago."

"That," she said, glaring at me, "is completely different."

"How?"

"It just is."

"Whatever you say." Somewhat cautiously, I slung my arm over her shoulders. She didn't try to judo-flip me, so I figured I was safe. "So what did Piper think was the problem at first?"

"Oh my gods." Annabeth covered her face with her hands. "I'm not going to repeat it. But apparently a different camper came to her today since, you know, she's the Aphrodite head counselor, for advice about a…very personal problem with a boyfriend. So when I called, she thought it was the same thing and…anyway." She shook her head. "We decided she was just half asleep and confused."

I debated about asking more, then decided maybe it was better not to know. "So what happened with Drew in Boston?"

"Oh no." Annabeth pulled her legs back so she was sitting cross-legged, her left knee resting on my right. "It was during the Titan War and I swore to her I wouldn't tell anybody about it."

"But I'm not just anybody." I nuzzled her neck. "I'm, like, your somebody."

"Well, someone's got a high opinion of his own importance," she murmured and I smiled against her skin. "But I'm still not telling you. It's—it's strategically sound to have this over Drew."

"Mmhm." I pressed my lips against the hollow curve of her collarbone at the base of her throat.

"Plus, I gave her my w-word."

"Okay." Truthfully, I no longer really cared about the Drew thing as I made my way slowly back up her throat.

"And you'd better not give me a hickey."

"No promises." I had an idea. It happens occasionally. "How about a different secret?"

"What?"

"If you won't tell me what happened in Boston, and that's fine, tell me something else. Something you've never told me before."

She considered that. "Okay, but you're making it really hard for me to think."

"You're welcome."

Another pause, then, "Alright, I've got one." She shifted, forcing me to meet her eyes.

"Ah, come on."

"You asked for a secret, Seaweed Brain. And I can't talk about this with you kissing my neck." Her voice was light, but there was a serious undertone to it that made me sit up and focus.

"I'm listening."

She took a deep breath. "So, the night I ran away in Richmond, the first time, when I was seven, the first monster I met nearly killed me." Rolling up her shirt a few inches, she revealed two small white scars, just below her ribs.

My stomach twisted. "Are those—"

"Puncture wounds." She dropped her shirt back into place. "I ran into an empousa a mile, maybe less, from my house. Her exact words were, 'What a tasty little morsel.'" Annabeth shuddered. "I didn't have time to run or find a weapon. She just pounced and sank her stupid fangs in my side."

My hand drifted to her knee, still resting on top of mine. "How did you get away?"

"I threw dirt in her eyes," Annabeth said bluntly. "And I think there was some broken glass in it. We were in this alley by some Dumpsters. Anyway, she started wailing and I was able to get away."

"Yeah, that's a new one," I said.

"Wait. That's not the secret." She closed her eyes. "I've never told anyone—not my dad, not Thalia, not Luke—what I'm about to tell you. Because I've always, you know, maintained this attitude that once I left home, I never looked back." She opened her eyes and looked directly at me. "But that's not exactly true."

"Okay…" I nodded for her to continue.

She took my hand on her knee and turned it up, following the lines on my palm with her own fingers. ADHD demigod fidgeting.

"After the empousa attack, I was scared. I was bleeding, I was in pain. I was seven years old." Her hand balled into a fist. "I tried to go home."

My eyes widened, but I didn't interrupt her.

"But I got lost. I wandered around for hours, Percy. But I couldn't find my street. I was crying, calling for my dad. Finally, I stumbled into a park I'd never seen before. There was a screech owl in the tree. At first I was scared of it; its eyes were following me."

"Like one of those old paintings?"

She sighed exasperatedly, but her fist relaxed. "Like an owl, Percy. Their heads rotate almost 360 degrees. And I swear, if you ask me if I can do that—"

"Wasn't going to." I squeezed her hand. "Go on."

"So anyway, the owl freaked me out at first, but then it took off. It circled over my head three times, then flew off down the sidewalk, and I guess I just kind of realized I should follow it. So I did."

"Where did it take you?"

"Some kid's treehouse."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Must have been a Boy Scout or Girl Scout or something because there was a first-aid kit up there, plus a canteen, and an entire box of granola bars."

"That's the motherload."

"Pretty much. So I bandaged my side, grabbed half the granola bars, filled the canteen from the garden hose on the deck, and left five dollars in the treehouse with a note that just said, 'Thanks.'" She shrugged. "A couple days later, I met Thalia and Luke and, well, you pretty much know the rest from there."

"Wow, Annabeth." Somewhere along the line, I'd started holding her hand and was absentmindedly rubbing circles on her palm with my thumb. "Why didn't you ever say anything before?"

She shrugged again. "I was embarrassed about it. And then I made such a big deal about my horrible family, and Luke and Thalia just accepted that without question, unlike some other people." She squeezed my fingers. "I guess I didn't feel like I could admit that I'd wanted to go back."

"You were a scared kid, and you were injured," I said. "Of course you wanted to go home."

She gave me a tentative smile. "Maybe so. But I guess it all worked out. If I'd gone home that night, I wouldn't have met Thalia and Luke, or Grover. Maybe not you. Things would have been really different."

"Yeah, the world probably would have ended several times over."

She laughed at that. "Who knows? It all may have worked out a different way."

"Or maybe the Fates really do know what they're doing," I mused, twisting my hand around to lace my fingers through hers. "Because I can't imagine not meeting you."

"Ditto, Seaweed Brain." She leaned over and kissed me, sweetly. "Your turn."

"Huh—what?" Sometimes when Annabeth kisses me, my brain short-circuits.

"Your turn to tell me a secret. Something I don't know about you."

"You know everything about me."

That earned a smile, but she persisted. "Come on, Percy. There has to be something."

"Fine. Give me a sec." I thought about it. "Okay, I've got it. So, I can't drown."

"I know that."

"I know you know, but just wait." I took a deep breath, then continued. "I can't drown…in water. But, I can't remember if we told you guys about this or not, in Alaska, Hazel and I both almost died by drowning in mud."

Annabeth frowned. "No, you didn't mention it."

"Probably because it sucked. See, there's this stuff up there, muskeg, that's basically like quicksand. I thought I was going to take a shortcut across a field. Instead, I sank like a freaking stone. It was like the earth opened up and just swallowed me whole. And I couldn't breathe. There was just the mud. I was suffocating." Talking about it, I could feel the crush of wet earth around me, squeezing my chest, clogging my nose and mouth: the terrible experience, for the first time in my life, of being unable to breathe. I took another deep breath now, just to reassure myself that I could fill my lungs. "Hazel jumped in after me. I was maybe five or six feet down, but I was able to grab her ankle and Frank pulled us both out. That gunk was about as cold as the Cocytus, but I didn't even care because it just felt so good to breathe."

Annabeth scooted closer. "That sounds terrifying."

"It was, but that's not the secret part." My right hand was now resting on the ground beside her left. I ran my index finger lightly along the inside of her wrist, looking at our hands versus meeting her eyes as I confessed, "I started to have a fear of drowning. Like, in the water. Which was stupid, but still. I panicked at the Georgia Aquarium. And then in that frickin' well in Rome." I shuddered.

"You did great in Charleston, though," Annabeth offered. "And with the Cocytus, and in the Aegean against Polybotes."

I half-shrugged. "I figured if I don't control the fear, it might control me. Like how Jason can fly and Thalia can't, maybe because she's afraid of heights. So I keep using my powers like normal. But the fear is still there, kind of lurking at the back of my brain. And then, after the Chrysaor debacle, I started to wonder if maybe my real fear was drowning under everyone's expectations. That's when I knew I'd been spending too much time with you." I nudged her with my knee and chanced a glance up.

Annabeth looked thoughtful. Reaching up, she smoothed my brow with her thumb. "You always get this little furrow between your eyebrows when you're worried." Her hand settled on my shoulder, palm against my neck. "I'm proud of you for fighting against the fear. As for drowning in people's expectations," her fingertips traced tiny circles on my skin, "you don't always have to feel obligated to take everything on yourself, Percy. And I know that can be hard; it's part of my fatal flaw, too. But that's what your family and friends are for, to share the load."

"Yeah. I'm still working on that."

"I know you are. And the fact that you keep trying and never give up is one of the many reasons why I love you."

The corner of my mouth twitched. "There are many reasons? I figured there were maybe two or three at best."

She leaned closer. "Actually, there's a pretty long list."

"Really?"

"Mmhm."

"Cool." Maybe I should have asked what some of the other reasons were, but I figured as long as she knew them, that was all that mattered. So instead, I kissed her. Because I could.

"I'm glad you brought us out here," Annabeth said when she pulled away.

"Even with the battery dying?"

"Even with the battery dying." She kissed me again, lightly. "But maybe we can move to the hood of the car? The ground isn't really that comfortable and we've been sitting here a while."

I exhaled a laugh. "Absolutely." I pushed myself off the ground, then held out a hand to help Annabeth up.

The metal of the hood was still slightly warm from the engine running, but since there was a hint of late night chill in the summer air, it felt good. I stretched out against the windshield, hands behind my head. Annabeth snuggled up next to me, her head on my chest, and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. I drew in a deep breath. Life didn't get much better than this.

The stars sparkled overhead, brilliant and cheerful. Annabeth's fingers curled into the fabric of my t-shirt. She tilted her head, and I realized she was looking up at the stars too when she said softly, "Bob says hello."

I swallowed, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. I didn't say anything else, though. There was no need. Lying there looking up at the stars with a light breeze dancing through the humid air and the steady whoosh of waves rushing against the beach, the world felt calm. In that peaceful moment, friends who were gone didn't seem that far away. I could almost believe they would be back eventually—Bob, Damasen, Leo. As Annabeth had said, when it was somebody important, you couldn't give up hope. I mean, we were here together, in spite of everything.

There was always hope.


	4. Surprise!  It's a Hologram!

When Jason and Piper flew in on Guido the pegasus about fifteen minutes later, we were still sitting on the hood of the SUV, watching planes, satellites, and the occasional stray meteor streak across the sky (it was really dark out there. According to Annabeth, it was nearly time for the annual Perseid meteor shower, named for the hero Perseus. I told her I didn't even know I had a meteor shower. She smacked my arm). As the pegasus landed, Annabeth and I jumped down off the car.

_Got yourself in some transportation trouble, boss man?_ Guido asked.

"Something like that."

_Next time you should just take a handsome horse_ , he neighed. _Much more reliable._

"Maybe so."

Jason and Piper slid off the horse's back, yawning.

"Thanks for coming out here, guys," I said.

"No problem, man," Jason said. "I just hope this works. I've never tried to jump a battery before."

Luckily for us, it worked. A crackle of electricity, a pop, a whiff of ozone, and the SUV started right up.

"Nice." I fist-bumped Jason before slamming the hood shut.

Annabeth hugged Piper. "We owe you guys."

"Don't worry about it," Piper said. "What are friends for?"

"Although maybe we can catch a ride back to camp with you," Jason suggested. "It's a little chilly riding a pegasus at one in the morning, even in August."

"Definitely," I said. "Hop in."

Guido didn't seem too concerned about losing his passengers, especially after I promised to bring some sugar cubes and an apple by the stables later. _Now we're talking, boss man_ , he whinnied.

By this point in the night, traffic was light and, honestly, I was starting to feel a little tired, so it was probably a good thing Jason and Piper had joined us in the car, since the conversation helped keep me awake. The past few days had been so crazy, we all hadn't really had a chance to talk since Greece, so it felt good to catch up. And maybe reminisce, just a little bit, about the Argo II days, which were already starting to feel as far away as Europe. The conversation moved easily from fights:

Annabeth: "Gods, remember that stupid sea monster?"

Jason: "Which one?"

Laughter.

To friends:

Piper: "Frank really was amazing leading that army in the House of Hades. He's going to be a great praetor."

Me: "Absolutely. Because nothing will ever terrify him as much as finding us passed out in the stables."

More laughter (along with Annabeth covering her red face with her hands).

Which led to how much we missed our friends already:

Annabeth: "Yeah, I wanted to ask Hazel's opinion about something today, then I remembered they'd left and are probably in, like, Illinois right now."

Which led, inevitably, to talking about Leo. As I turned off the interstate, heading out onto the more rural roads that eventually wound their way to Camp Half-Blood, quiet settled over the car.

Annabeth twisted in her seat to face Piper. "How are you guys doing? Jason said you were talking about it last night, about not giving up hope?"

When I glanced in the rearview mirror, Piper was twisting her braid, looking pensive, before saying, "Yeah. Yeah, we have to keep believing in him. So we were talking about, you know, the good times."

"That's a good idea." Annabeth smiled.

"Like those tofu tacos." I whistled. "Dude can cook. And I don't even eat tofu."

"Right?" Jason agreed.

"There was one night I was on guard duty," Annabeth recalled, "and Leo was working on his Archimedes sphere in the controls, and he was telling me about the Pantheon, in Rome. You know, where he and Hazel and Frank got trapped? But he was telling me about the panels on the dome and the way they were hollowed out, to make them lighter so the roof is easier to support…anyway, it was just nice, chatting about architecture and mechanics since, you know, we were the only ones who really liked that stuff."

We probably would have gone on longer telling stories, but just then, Jason leaned forward. His voice was even but there was a clear edge in it as he said, "Hey, bro, do you see that? In the middle of the road?"

I did, but I'd been hoping for the last hundred feet that my tired eyes were messing with me. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Annabeth and Piper were instantly alert. Annabeth's eyes narrowed, then she cursed. "It's a cynocephalus. Probably left over after the battle."

"Make that cynocephali," Piper corrected as five more dark shapes detached themselves from the shadows of the trees.

I took my foot off the accelerator, but didn't hit the brake. "What do you think?" I asked the group in general. "Barrel through?"

"No," Annabeth and Jason said in unison.

"We don't want to risk them disabling the car," Annabeth continued. "Then we'll really be in trouble."

The dog-headed creatures turned sniffing noses in our direction. Illuminated in the headlights, two of them lifted their snouts into the air and howled. The others soon joined. The sound sent an unpleasant shiver down my spine. "We might already be in trouble."

"Don't worry." Annabeth opened the glove box, but the light inside didn't come on, which led to more cursing as she felt around.

"I don't think they're going to ask for our registration right now," I said, still slowly creeping forward, though the dog-men didn't look eager to move out of the way. They were now maybe only fifty feet away.

"That's not what…ha!" Annabeth triumphantly drew a shotgun from the glove box. "Piper, can you check under the passenger seat for a box of bullets?"

"Got them!"

I gaped at her. "How—what—what?"

"Beckendorf modified it to shoot Celestial bronze bullets, then created a handy secret compartment to stash it for emergencies. Apparently it was after he and Silena had borrowed the SUV for a date and ran into some trouble."

I felt like there was way more to that story, but no time right now. "Okay, Wise Girl, so what's the plan?"

She smiled mischievously, eyes sparkling the way they only do before a fight, and another shiver went down my spine, but for a totally different reason. She pumped the loaded shotgun. "Don't worry. We're going to keep it simple."

Annabeth's idea of "keeping it simple" involved Jason on the roof of the car, using the winds to keep his balance (and I totally do not recommend trying that unless you are a child of Zeus or Jupiter) and calling down a pretty impressive lightning strike, which immediately fried three cynocephali, while Annabeth, in the aptly named shotgun seat, leaned out the window, took aim, pulled the trigger twice, and took out two more. As Jason swung back inside through the window, Annabeth yelled, "Now, Percy! Gun it!"

So I did. There was only one dog-headed creature left, who seemed startled by how quickly his buddies had been eliminated. But he regained his wits as we tore past, snarling and charging at the car, until Piper calmly stuck her sword out the window, straight into the monster's chest, and he dissolved into dust.

I pulled back on the accelerator a little bit, since the road was kind of windy, and exhaled. My friends' adrenaline-induced heavy breathing filled the car. "Nice job, gang," I offered.

Jason chuckled and squeezed my shoulder. "Yeah, I guess we all make a pretty good team at this point."

"Like a well-oiled machine," Piper said, with a slightly wistful smile.

I glanced at Annabeth, who was calmly putting the shotgun away. "I thought you told me before that guns weren't ideal for demigods."

"They're not," she agreed, sitting back and tucking her feet underneath her again. "A lot of times, mortal-made ones jam up around monsters. And, of course, you have to use Celestial bronze bullets."

"Like your dad's airplane on Mount Tam," I remembered.

"Exactly. And you might not always have time to reload, if there's a lot of monsters or you miss. But the monsters were only twenty feet away, so I had an easy shot. Plus Beckendorf modified this gun, so it's a lot more reliable." She shrugged. "Sometimes you work with what you've got. Especially when you're with a friend who can knock out half the monsters with one lightning strike."

Jason grinned. "Glad to help."

Luckily, the rest of the drive to camp was uneventful. Even still, by the time we reached Camp Half-Blood and I'd parked the SUV by the Big House, thanked Jason and Piper again, and kissed Annabeth good night, I was wiped out. Stumbling into cabin three, I didn't even bother changing into pajamas. I just face-planted on my bed and instantly fell asleep.

I dragged myself to breakfast as late as possible. Annabeth, Piper, and Jason were also bleary-eyed, but otherwise the dining pavilion was buzzing with excitement. Chiron had apparently announced the first post-war Capture the Flag game for next week and everyone was staring to make alliances and plan their strategies.

I yawned as I scraped some of my bacon, eggs, and pancakes into the fire and said a quick thank you to my dad for—well, nothing in particular, but just because. An image of the shrine of Hermes in Tartarus flashed across my mind, but I shook it away. Not today. Instead, as I sat back down, I focused on the Capture the Flag discussions going on around me. The game happening again was good news, but I wasn't stressed about strategy; I'd just go wherever Annabeth told me. I caught her eye across the pavilion and grinned. Her smile made the sunny day seem even brighter.

And then something happened that took everyone's attention off Capture the Flag.

The pavilion was starting to clear out when Harley from Hephaestus, one of the youngest kids at camp, came running in, waving something over his head. He skidded to a stop in the middle of the pavilion, panting. Several people jumped to their feet, already reaching for weapons and asking questions.

"Harley, what's going on?"

"Are you okay?"

"Something to attack?" This was asked over-eagerly by Sherman Yang from the Ares cabin.

Harley finally caught his breath. Straightening up and waving the scroll in his hand, he shouted, "Leo! It's from Leo!"

Dead silence crashed like a wave over the pavilion. Then, "What?" Piper gasped. She and Jason had been about to leave, but now they stood frozen on either side of the crack Nico had made years ago as Harley scampered over to them, beaming. He held his scroll up triumphantly and announced again, "It's a message. From Leo."

Chaos broke out. As Piper practically snatched the scroll from Harley, everyone else jumped up and scrambled to the edge of the pavilion to see this miraculous message. Squashed between Kayla from Apollo and Jake Mason, I watched as Harley proudly demonstrated how to play the message.

A hologram flickered to life. There were gasps from the assembled demigods and a half-sob from Piper as the miniature form of Leo Valdez took shape, dressed in his usual jeans, work shirt, and tool belt, an impish grin on his face.

Holding out his arms like he wanted a hug, Leo said, "Hey, guys! Sorry to leave you like that. Bad news: I died. Good news: I got better! I had to go rescue Calypso. We're both fine now. We're taking Festus to—" the image flickered briefly and Leo's voice cut out. "Back as soon as—" it flickered again and his voice dissolved into static. "Cook tacos when—Vaya con queso! Love ya!" The image winked out, literally—Leo winked right before the hologram faded.

A beat of silence.

Then the cheering started.

"YES!" Jason punched the air in the most exuberant gesture I'd ever seen him make. He kissed Piper. "You were right, Pipes!" He hugged her while she sobbed into his shirt.

Annabeth threw her arms around me from behind. "The cure worked!"

"It worked," I repeated, so relieved I almost felt dizzy. For once, I really, truly meant it when I said, "Thank the gods."

From a couple feet away, I heard Will Solace say, "Guess your senses are off, Death Boy."

Nico had been standing with his mouth open, looking as dumbfounded as if someone had punched him between the eyes, but now he turned to glare at Will. "Don't call me Death Boy."

"I don't think I can," Will said brightly, "when you can't even tell if a guy survived an explosion or not."

"You know—" Nico started to say, but he was interrupted by Jason giving him a huge hug.

Annabeth released me to hug Piper, who was beaming despite the tears still streaming down her face.

Jake Mason stepped back from the Hephaestus cabin celebration (they were currently replaying the scroll) and exhaled. "Thank Hephaestus and whoever else. I hate being head counselor."

Guilt swooped in below my relief. "Yeah, especially after Beckendorf last summer…"

"Don't beat yourself up again, man." Jake clapped me on the shoulder. "The sacrifices are part of being a hero. But yeah, it's nice when someone comes back."

The crowd began to disperse, most of the campers speculating about when Leo would be swooping in on Festus…with Calypso. Another nervous swoop of the stomach, but I pushed it away. That meeting might be a little awkward, but I trusted we could figure it all out.

I joined Annabeth, Nico, Will, Piper, and Jason just as Piper was wiping her eyes and saying, "Hazel. I have to tell Hazel. And Frank. They felt so guilty. We have to let them know."

"Isn't it super early out there?" I asked. "If they're even back to Camp Jupiter yet."

Jason shook his head. "Dude, it's almost a three thousand mile drive. They've got at least another day before they'll get back to California."

Annabeth looked like she was doing some quick math. "They're probably somewhere in the Midwest right now, maybe Nebraska. So they should be at most an hour behind us. Not that early."

"Then let's give them a call," Nico said.

We trooped down to the dock on the canoe lake so I could use the water to try to create a rainbow. Iris-messages hadn't been working great since the war, but I thought I might have an in. I summoned a jet of water from the lake, but it wasn't catching the light exactly right. "Hey, Grace, can you help me out with some wind?"

A gust blew across the lake, rippling the surface and scattering droplets so that they caught the sunlight, forming a misty rainbow. "Awesome," I said. Annabeth handed me a drachma and I tossed it into the rainbow, saying, "Oh Fleecy, do me a solid. Hazel Levesque at, uh, somewhere in Nebraska, maybe?" Seeing the raised eyebrows around me, I just shook my head. "Don't ask."

An image flickered into view. It was a McDonald's parking lot. The golden arches rose over a small army of SUVS. Demigods were walking back and forth holding coffees and breakfast sandwiches. Behind them, cars and semi-trucks rushed by on the highway, and beyond that cornfields stretched out to the horizon, early morning fog hanging in cool gray clouds above the plants. I could see all of that in the background. In the foreground of the image was the corner of the restaurant. And Frank and Hazel, who were kissing.

Nothing too scandalous, but still, they'd clearly not been expecting company. Will coughed. I debated swiping through the message, but before I could, Nico called out, "Hey, Zhang. Hi, sis."

They jumped apart like they'd been shocked. Frank immediately put his hands up, while Hazel's hand went to the hilt of her sword, both of them looking around for the source of the voice. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep a straight face, but I really didn't want to embarrass them any further.

"Over here!" Nico waved cheerfully. I'd never seen him this amused. "Good morning?"

"Nico?" Hazel asked incredulously, finally spotting the I-M. "And…oh my gods." She covered her face with her hands.

Frank's face was bright red as he waved weakly. "Hey, guys."

"'Sup, man," I said. "Sorry to interrupt."

Annabeth elbowed me. "Don't worry about it, guys. Remember the scene Percy made when he and I met back up in New Rome?"

"The scene that I made? You judo-flipped me!"

"Uh, yeah." Frank ran a hand over his military buzz cut, but Hazel lowered her hands, laughing weakly.

"Let's start over," Piper said. "Hi, guys!"

"Hi," Hazel replied. "It is good to see you all. Is everything okay?"

"It's great." Piper held up the scroll, which she'd snagged from the Hephaestus kids. "Look what just arrived."

When she played the message, Hazel shrieked and Frank growled, "Freaking Valdez," before turning to hug Hazel so hard he lifted her off her feet. Piper had to start the message over again so they could listen all the way through. Hazel's eyes were sparkling with tears, though she was smiling broadly, by the time it ended. Frank exhaled heavily.

"Freaking Valdez," he said again. "I can't believe it worked."

"Thank the gods." Hazel wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her denim jacket. "Will you let us know when they arrive?"

"Of course," Piper said.

"And once we finish strangling him, we'll send him your way," I added.

They both laughed. "Perfect," Hazel said.

The rainbow dinged, like our drachma was almost up, so we quickly said our good-byes. Jason killed the wind and I let the water splash back into the lake as Hazel and Frank faded into mist.

Will still had some campers recovering in the infirmary, so he went to check on them, accompanied by Nico, who looked almost as happy as his ten-year-old Mythomagic-obsessed self I'd met at Westover Hall so many years ago. Piper and Jason headed back towards the cabins to return the message scroll to Harley, leaving Annabeth and me alone on the dock.

I raised my eyebrows. "I made a scene?"

She bit her lip, clearly fighting hard not to smile. "Hey, I was just trying to make Hazel and Frank feel better. And it worked, didn't it?"

"I guess so," I admitted. An evil grin snuck across my face. "But if you want a scene, baby, I'll give you a scene." And I tackled her into the lake.

"Per—!" Glub.

I made an air bubble, but I didn't manage it until we were completely submerged. The bubble drifted down and settled gently on the bottom of the lake. Annabeth glared at me, arms crossed, her wet hair and clothes sticking to her skin. I suspected that the long list of reasons she loved me might be getting shorter. As a show of solidarity, I didn't will myself dry. My hair was plastered to my forehead, while my t-shirt and jeans, the ones I'd slept in, clung to me uncomfortably. I tried for a please-don't-kill-me smile and ventured, "I love you?"

Annabeth sighed in exasperation. "You are still, without a doubt, the single most annoying person I have ever met."

"But?" I said hopefully.

The bubble wasn't huge. There was barely a foot of distance between us, but it felt like an unbreachable gulf to me at the moment because I honestly couldn't tell if she was really mad or not. On first instinct, this had seemed like a good idea, but now I was wondering if it was maybe a little too impulsive.

After a few heartbeats, Annabeth rolled her eyes and relented. "But I love you, too. Idiot." She took a step forward and my pulse began to beat double-time. "Now maybe you can explain why you thought it would be a good idea to dunk me in the lake."

There was an undertone in her voice that suggested she knew exactly what I was thinking, as usual. I smiled, a real smile, as I tugged her closer. "Gee, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that we're back home, all our friends," an image of Damasen, Bob, and Small Bob flashed behind my eyes and I quickly corrected, "most of our friends are safe and alive, we're safe and alive, and our one year anniversary is in just two weeks."

"Are you suggesting that you had a plan, Seaweed Brain?"

"Maybe. I might have picked up a few things from this amazing girl I'm dating." Genuinely this time, I said, "I love you, Annabeth."

"I love you too, Percy."

This time, when she kissed me, not only did my brain melt, but it felt like my heart, spine, and everything else did too. I was drowning, I couldn't breathe, but this time, I didn't mind.

Eventually, when I came up for air and could once again form a complete sentence, I asked, "So is this going to be, like, a tradition?"

Annabeth sounded slightly breathless when she replied, "A kiss for luck, right?"

My answer was to kiss her again. And just like that, there was a new contender for this year's best underwater kiss.

When we finally resurfaced, I paused on the shore of the canoe lake. The sun was shining, the day was already getting hot, and camp activities were in full swing. Smoke chugged into the air from the forges. Marble chips and paint could be seen flying around the arts and crafts cabin. Clangs and yells rang out from the sword-fighting class in the arena, while arrows from the archery lesson whizzed across the range. The climbing wall spewed molten lava and there was a shriek as a camper dropped and rolled, shirt smoldering. Over at the hearth, on the green between the cabins, a small girl in a brown dress tended the flames. She briefly caught my eye and nodded when I raised my hand in greeting.

Annabeth laced her fingers through mine and drew in a deep breath. "It's good to be home, isn't it?"

"It definitely is." I squeezed her hand. "Race you to the climbing wall?"

She grinned. "You're on, Seaweed Brain." She took off running, and I followed her. For the first time in a long, long time, everything felt back to normal.

Or, you know, as normal as things ever get for a demigod. But that's okay. I'm used to our brand of crazy.

And I have to admit, even despite all the horrible stuff, I wouldn't really want it any other way.

Percy Jackson, out.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading, and for the comments and kudos!


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